"An intriguing plot with memorable characters, this work will captivate readers of all ages from beginning to end." Book Life Prize Critic, Publisher's Weekly
Cheater seeks the only place connecting her to her late family--Paradise. Her mother's compassion, her unknown power, and the fairytale her only inheritance, but death claims lives wherever she goes. She desires seclusion, until she stops a mugger named Jaz from hurting his current victim--will he die, too?
Professional Reviews
Book Life Prize Critic, Publisher's Weekly
This novel is absorbing and well plotted. The author grabs readers early on and then slowly reveals just enough information to keep them hooked and turning pages.
A Fantastic Adventure,
Four stars for P.G. Shriver's, The Fairytale! This story is so unique and keeps you enthralled the whole way through. It is imaginative, endearing, and down right intriguing.
P.G. creates such strong characters. Ones that have faced such hardship, but have not let it break them.
I love that her characters are real and from such different walks of life. They make for quite an emotional story. Much like P.G.'s other young adult novel, The Fairytale has you experiencing so many different things through out the story. Sadness, hope, and joy all wrapped up in one.
Cheater, the main character, has been shuffled through the foster system and swears death follows her. Yet she has learned how to survive on her own and continues to follow her goal of reaching Paradise. I also loved the originality of Cheater's "gift". Her power adds such an enjoyable aspect to the story.
I can't wait to find out what the other ten children's gifts are!
At first I was unsure of how a childhood fairytale would work as the basis for a novel. But the more I read, the more I loved the idea of it. P.G. is a talented writer and has crafted a fantastical adventure that is only just getting started.
The plot is so enjoyable and keeps you guessing all the way to the end. You are left wanting more and that is the mark of a good book.
This is a great first book to the series and I can not wait to see what happens next in the Gifted Ones series!
I definitely recommend this book to teens and adults alike. Readers who like real life stories with a touch of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this one!
A heart-wrenching yet surprisingly hopeful fantasy
What an emotional ride this book is, full of sad and bittersweet moments, the story still manages to give a feeling of hope, mostly through the character of 13-year-old, Cheater. Cheater lives on the streets afraid to stay with anyone she cares about for fear of bringing tragedy upon those she loves. Despite the numerous tragedies that have plagued her she still has a caring heart and a remarkable gift for helping people find their humanity. Yet she does not understand this gift or how it works because she doesn't remember what happened afterwards. She follows an internal intuition that guides her toward a destiny she doesn't understand but knows is related to the fairy tale her mother told her so many times when she was younger. When she runs into Jazz, another teenager with an unusual secret, her intuition lets her know that he is important somehow. But can the two find their destiny? And if they do what is the faceless man's role in the growing evil around them?
I loved the fact that Cheater's gift involves compassion and helping others, even or maybe especially those who have lost hope or live in anger. So many fantasy gifts involve darkness, it's refreshing to find one that benefits others. Cheater's willingness to care about others despite her own desperate circumstances quickly endeared her to me. And Jazz who starts off as anything but sympathetic becomes so after contact with Cheater. I must admit, only a few chapters into the story I had a strong urge to take Cheater into my arms and offer her the comfort and love she so desperately desires. While the book has a cliffhanger ending (sigh), which I confess I am getting mighty tired of (what happened to books with a nice clean ending?!), I will definitely be looking for the upcoming sequels to see what happens to Cheater, Jazz and the other gifted ones.
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